Morning Glory

I love mornings. Well, I love waking up all warm and cozy with the contented weight of Raimi's head resting on my back. Leeloo is often laid flat out on her side along my legs, her head hooked over my ankle and deep in REM sleep. Esme, if she is on the bed, is at the end in a fuzzy little pile, usually with her tummy exposed to the heavens. Sometimes I slip out of my dreams to find one cat has tidily balanced itself on my ribcage and the other is curled into the crook of my legs, thereby adding their slumbering presence to my waking dream.

That few moments before the alarm sounds and the day must begin are my favorite in every 24 hour period. I am cocooned in down and surrounded by creatures who are sleeping so deeply only because they know they are perfectly and completely safe.

The alarm sounds and first up is Esme stomping on me and the Ridgebacks, ridding the bed of cats and doing her level best to get everyone moving. Raimi always has a languid stretch, steps off the bed, walks around, shoves his nose into my eyeball or cheek and snorts. He stomps around in gleeful anticipation of me getting up and I can hear his tail smacking the wall in greeting. Esme is still leaping on and off the bed, unable to contain her excitement that another day has begun. Leeloo remains on the bed, stretches out those crazy long legs of hers, and starts to wiggle on her back, throwing her feet about. Once she has satisfied herself with that she stands on the bed and if I am not moving fast enough she starts to dig me out of bed with Leeloo noises and naughty nibbling teeth. That usually gets me up. Esme is still smashing around the room, pinging off the walls, Raimi, Leeloo, me and  the bed. The cats are long gone.

Once I am vertical everyone makes for the back door, I stumble to the exit, open the door and everyone goes out in a rush with Esme barking and leaping at Ridgeback throats. I shut the door and prepare their breakfast while Leeloo and Esme pee and Raimi stands on the deck and waits for me to open the door to let him in for his snack. That is the first 5 minutes of every day, people who don't have three dogs and three cats don't have this kind of morning, some days I'm not sure if they are missing out or just plain smart. I hope I never find out.